More Christmas Doom from our 'friends' at Reuters

[Comrade]

Tense Christmas in Iraq's "Triangle of Death"

ISKANDARIYA, Iraq, Dec 25 (Reuters) - The first stroke of Christmas found U.S. Marines blasting down doors in a hunt for an insurgent leader in one of Iraq's most hostile towns, hoping to serve him up to their commanding officer as a Yuletide gift.

Bursts of gunfire and deafening explosions shook an upscale neighbourhood of Iskandariya, in a lawless area south of Baghdad commonly dubbed the "Triangle of Death." But the target of the house-to-house search was nowhere to be found.

So named by the same media which brought you the phrase; 'Resistance against the Islamist Insurgents is futile.'

"Let's hope the rest of Christmas won't be as disappointing," said one 21-year-old Marine who had started out on the meticulously planned mission if anything even more gung- ho than his comrades.

Back at their base, named Kalsu, except for a smattering of ornaments and an occasional Santa hat peeking from under a helmet, the holiday was little different from other days.


The command centre at the camp, 50 km (30 miles) south of Baghdad, buzzed with activity, mechanics were hard at work on the Marines' fleet of battle-scarred :crutch:Humvee patrol vehicles and transport helicopters ferried in fresh supplies.


Like other U.S. bases across Iraq, Kalsu was on heightened alert for insurgent attacks over the Western holiday season, especially after the suicide bombing of a mess tent in Mosul four days ago which killed 22 people, including 18 Americans.

The hype of the lucky terrorist attack is solely a product of the leftist media.

"It would be a huge psychological boost for them to brag that they killed us at Christmas," said Colonel Ron Johnson, commander of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit based at Kalsu.


:firing:FIGHTING HOMESICKNESS


Thousands of miles from loved ones, working with little rest and facing an increasingly frustrating and deadly insurgency, most troops were hardly in a holiday mood. Several Marines said they were using Christmas to remember fallen comrades or were marking the day until the end of their tours of duty.


"You get homesick but you have to push it to the back of your mind or you go nuts," said Lance Corporal Andrew Alderson, 20, of Pelham, North Carolina, who plans to marry on his return.

Oh hell, we should just give up already!

Mindful of growing concern about stress among the 150,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, commanders hoped to lift Christmas spirit with a few trappings of home. Military chaplains held services and top generals planned morale-boosting visits. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld spent Christmas Eve in the country, telling troops they could win, however bleak the outlook.

And the outlook is sooooooooo BLEAK!!! :finger:

Cooks were serving up a dinners of roast turkey and smoked ham, and hot meals were even being delivered to troops manning remote checkpoints and lookout posts in the winter chill.

Sounds nice. But you know there is a BUT coming ...

But no one was letting down their guard. At Kalsu, security has been beefed up, focusing in particular on Iraqi security men and civilians, hundreds of whom live on the base alongside American troops. The Mosul bomber wore an Iraqi uniform, denting trust in forces the Americans hope can take over from them.

WE MUST GIVE UP, EVERYTHING IS FALLING APART!

Marines at Kalsu, a frequent target of mortars, must wear body armour even while eating in the mess hall -- an order in place for some time and which almost certainly saved lives when a mortar struck the base Internet cafe this month, wounding 15.


Most of the dozens of casualties in Mosul wore no armour.


CHRISTMAS OFFENSIVE


Instead of spending a tense Christmas waiting for attack, commanders ushered in the holiday by going on the offensive; their target was Ali Kazar, a suspected leader of the Sunni Arab insurgency in a restive part of the Euphrates valley where support for Saddam Hussein was strong.


U.S. troops and balaclava-wearing Iraqi police commandos swept into town in a convoy of Humvee patrol cars, smashing their way into a building where he was thought to be living.


Dazed, barefoot residents, including women and children, were forced out, but only two people, including a member of Saddam's now dissolved Baath party, were detained. Many Iraqis say American forces use heavy-handed tactics that alienate ordinary people -- something U.S. officials deny.

LIARS!

Leaping back into their vehicles, troops then converged on a nearby mosque in hopes of finding Kazar there, but instead only came away with three lesser suspects and several assault rifles.

A FAILURE!!!

Within minutes, the Marines were back at their base where a banner outside the command centre read: "Peace on Earth."

Oh, the IRONY!

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Eat my shorts, Reuters.